


Cup

by wrenrouge



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cats, M/M, Matchmaking from the gods, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 01:52:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17132810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrenrouge/pseuds/wrenrouge
Summary: Kenma loses his cat, but gains something else entirely.





	Cup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [frankenstein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankenstein/gifts).



> This is a super late birthday present turned Christmas present for [@tetsukens](https://twitter.com/tetsukens) on twitter! This story completely belongs to Riley as she was the one with the idea. And I just wanted to say, Riley, there is so much love in my heart for you and I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Kuroo was exhausted. After a long night of work at the bar, all he wanted to do was fall on his bed and sleep until all the exhaustion left his body. 

As he approached his apartment building, he noticed a short man by the entrance. He was wearing the most oversized set of pajamas he had ever seen and his bleached hair was in a messy updo. He was calling for something and the whole scene was just bizarre considering it was four in the morning. He had never seen that man before, so he decided to investigate.

"Hey," he began, startling the man, "Are you okay?" The man looked at him briefly, before looking down, muttering something inaudible. He looked nervous as if he didn't want to be there. "Huh?" Kuroo tried again.

"My cat ran away," the man finally spoke up, but not by much.

"Oh," Kuroo said, a bit dumbfounded, "need some help?" he offered.

The man didn't seem like he trusted Kuroo, but he nodded an agreement to the help anyway. "I'm Kuroo Tetsurou by the way" he provided, hoping the man didn't think him creepy if he was open about his identity.

"Kozume Kenma" The man said, eyes never leaving the floor. Kuroo thought the man was a bit strange, but he didn't mind it.  _ He's probably just shy _ , he thought.  

"Alright, Kozume-san  —"

"Kenma is fine." Kenma interjected before Kuroo could finish.

Kuroo smiled kindly at Kenma. "Okay." he said,  "So, how does your cat look like?"

"She's a calico."

"What's her name?"

Kozume looked abashed at the question, as if he didn't want to tell Kuroo the answer. But after a few minutes of silence he said, "Cup."

"Cup?" Kuroo asked, unsure if he heard right.

"Cup."

Kuroo wanted to laugh at the odd name, but he didn't, instead he said, "Gotcha, I'll start looking around the corner, yeah?"

Kenma just nodded his head and continued calling for Cup.

Kuroo turned the corner and before he could start looking properly, a cat crossed his path. It was a calico, a friendly one at that, as the cat rubbed its body against Kuroo's leg. "Hey there," he cooed, "Might you be Cup?" The calico only purred. 

\---

Kenma was having a bad time. Not only did his cat escape his apartment again, he wasn't expecting to meet anyone while searching for her, especially this late. Kuroo seemed nice, but who knew if he was actually a criminal. He might pull out a knife on him to take all his money. It was late after all, only criminals are out late at night.

He continued calling for Cup, trying to stay away from where the stranger had gone, but in no time Kuroo returned from around the corner with a cat in his arms. "I found her around the building," he said.

Kenma took Cup into his arms, feeling slightly embarrassed about how little it took Kuroo to find Cup when he'd been standing outside for more than twenty minutes. He was also proven wrong in Kuroo's intentions. He was genuinely a nice guy and only wanted to help. Kenma wondered why he was out so late, but dared not ask because he was already flustered enough.

"Thank you," he managed to say and quickly turned around to head inside his apartment building. Except Kuroo was following him, close behind.  _ Oh _ , Kenma thought,  _ he lives in the same apartment building as me. _

"Uh," Kuroo looked sheepish, "This is awkward."

Kenma nodded as he entered the building with Kuroo following behind. They stopped in the lobby, unsure of what to say. "So you live here?" Kuroo asked.

Kenma hummed in agreement, "I just moved in last month."

"No wonder I've never seen you." was Kuroo's response. "I've lived here for a good two years now and I work at the bar two blocks from here. I guess my schedule is odd enough that I've never seen you out and about during the day."

"Yeah, that must be it." Kenma wanted to go home, he was tired and as nice as Kuroo was, he really wanted to get to bed. "Umm, I have to go now," he said awkwardly. He hugged Cup tighter as she wiggled in his arms.

"Okay, I'll see you around."

Kenma waved goodbye before scurrying into the elevator, leaving behind a half smirking Kuroo as his flustered self tried to tame the cat in his arms.

\---

Kenma glared at his cat for three days straight or at least tried to. Thanks to Cup, he went out looking like a mess thinking he wouldn't meet anybody at four in the morning. Yet he met his criminal-turned-good-guy neighbor, who he was pretty sure was laughing at him the whole time.  "You did this to me." he said to Cup with a glare. The Calico only mewed and rubbed her head on Kenma's arm. He caved and sighs as he petted her. "You're lucky you're cute." 

\---

It kept happening. 

Somehow Cup kept running away. He tried to check every time he opened the front door, making sure she was inside at all times, but sometimes she even escaped while he was paying attention, making him run after her.

It was always at night too. It was as if she knew what time to run away, which was stupid, she was a cat. However, since meeting Kuroo, every time he went out trying to find her, Kuroo was there offering to help. He even made small talk sometimes.

"So what do you do?"

"I work at a bookstore not too far from here."

Kenma felt awkward. He didn't know how to talk to strangers. He responded to Kuroo's questions but didn't ask any of his own. Kuroo didn't seem to mind though as he kept talking and filling the silence until he found Cup. Somehow, he was always the one that found her first. Kuroo would then hand over the calico with a smirk on his face and Kenma would feel his face heat up.  _ This was stupid _ , he thought.  _ Why is this happening? _

On the rare occasion that they would cross paths during the day, Kuroo would always exchange pleasantries with him. Kuroo filling the silence when they met became something Kenma expected and even welcomed. One day Kenma surprised himself by actually engaging in a real conversation with Kuroo. He had been telling a story that occurred at the bar and Kenma couldn't help but add his opinion on what had happened. Kuroo had looked at him with a smile on his face that reached his golden eyes, and Kenma had to look away. He wasn't sure when he started feeling comfortable around Kuroo, but it made him feel warm.

\---

It had been two months since he'd met Kuroo and two weeks since Kenma had last needed to leave his apartment at four in the morning to find his cat. For some reason she had stopped running away, and Kenma was eternally grateful. It was the weekend and he had settled in for the night, he was about to start a new game when someone knocked on his door. He wasn't sure who'd come visit at nine at night, but he sighed and got off his couch to go investigate.

When he opened the door, he was left breathless, because Kuroo was standing there in front of his apartment. He looked like he had just woken up, considering he was wearing a soft sweater and sweatpants and to his surprise, glasses. Kenma couldn't stop staring. "Uh," Kuroo started, bringing the cat in his arms to Kenma's line of sight. "This little thing was meowing in front of my door"

Confused, Kenma turned to look back into his apartment, despite knowing he wasn't going to find his cat anywhere inside. He hadn't left the house all day, there was no way she would have escaped, but there she was, comfortable in Kuroo's outstretched arms.

"Kenma?" That was enough to bring Kenma back from whichever plain of existence he had left to.

Kenma took Cup from Kuroo and before he could thank him for the umpteenth time for finding his cat, Kuroo clears his throat. He looked flustered as if his next sentence might kill him, but he finally awkwardly said "Hey uh," he paused, "So like," he rubbed the back of his neck, "Since I've been helping you find your cat more times that I can count, I was thinking if uh, you wanted to get coffee with me?"

Kenma's eyes widened at the invitation, but Kuroo continued. "You know...maybe so that I can see you without using your cat as an excuse?" He was nervous as he was biting his lip, but he looked so incredibly soft.

Kenma's voice faltered, but managed a shaky "Yeah...okay." Kuroo grinned so brightly at his answer that Kenma's lips almost do the same.

Kuroo took a step back "Cool, great, I'll uh," he looked like he'd forgotten how to say words, "I'll text you!" before turning around and leaving Kenma in his doorway wondering what he just agreed to.

Kenma closed his door, ready to scold his cat, when not two seconds later he had to open it again because of Kuroo's knocking, "I said I'd text you but I just realized I don't have your number." Kuroo said, out of breath, despite living two doors down. And this time Kenma can't help but laugh.

\---

A month later Kuroo sat on the couch with Kenma, Kuroo's arm around Kenma's shoulders as Kenma sniffles softly. He doesn't bother to wipe away the few tears that are streaming down Kenma's face, instead Kuroo just kisses his forehead. "She was a stray I picked up right after I moved in, " Kenma said through his tears, "I thought I could save her life but she's gone now."

Kuroo rubbed Kenma's back gently, "She'll be fine, maybe she's just an outdoor cat at heart." Kuroo offered, "We'll leave food and water outside just in case, yeah?"

Kenma sniffled once more, wiping his nose on the arm of his sleeve, "Yeah, alright."

Outside, down on the street, a calico mewed towards Kenma's balcony windows, before wandering away, it's job done, contentment secured. 

**Author's Note:**

> There's 2 reasons the cat is named Cup lmao  
> 1) Kenma couldn't find a name for her so he named her after what he was holding (a cup)  
> 2) Oh you know :3c 
> 
> Find me [@wrenrouge](https://wrenrouge.tumblr.com) on tumblr and [@wrenrouge](https://twitter.com/wrenrouge) on twitter!!


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